The 2007–2008 global food crisis has renewed interest in
post-harvest loss, but estimates remain scarce, especially
in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper uses self-reported
measures from nationally representative household
surveys in Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania. Overall, onfarm
post-harvest loss adds to 1.4–5.9 percent of the
national maize harvest, substantially lower than the Food
and Agriculture Organization’s post-harvest handling and
storage loss estimate for cereals, which is 8 percent. Postharvest
loss is concentrated among less than a fifth of
households. It increases with humidity and temperature
and declines with better market access, post-primary
education, higher seasonal price differences, and possibly
improved storage practices. Wider use of nationally
representative surveys in studying post-harvest loss is
called for.